I went to a school which was populated with provably about 80 per centGujarati children (I come from a Gujarati background) at a guess. When my boy and I go to playgroup he is an, ‘ethnic minority’ by being in a broader group called ‘Asian’.

So when I was at school I was not (by other kids) differentiated by the colour of my skin, but my caste. My classroom was made up of surnames such as Patel, Mistry, Thakrar or Shah. All Gujarati of course. We all knew we belonged to different castes and we knew that we spoke in different accents, our mothers cooked different tasting foods or simply varieties and some of us would be vegetarian and others not. Mild teasing was not uncommon, ‘your surname is Tailor you can make my clothes when I grow up’. I think I could pick up on caste sometimes by physical appearance.

The caste system used to separate people vocationally, but no longer does. Well, not the people I know anyway. It created networks of people and they married within their caste, but that doesn’t happen any more either. Idiosyncrasies of castes are now diluted with western accents, mixed marriages and just general evolution of culture. My 23 month will probably never know much about the caste system and I’m sure his friends will be much more international than mine were at his tender age. London offers that diversity doesn’t it.

I am from the Lohana caste. Commercial people. Ironically I read economics at university, but really that nothing to do with caste. Coincidence. Lohana folk are said to fond of onions, and that’s why I often got called one whilst growing up. But I was proud, I love a good onion.

Sweet and juicy with a sour tang. That’s my salad. I’ve smothered pomegranate molasses over the onions and roasted them slowly so that they are sweet and sour and moist and slippery. I adore that smell. They work well with deep butter beans and my nutty and slightly spiced dressing. Go on, be an onion.

1. Coat the onions with the pomegranate molasses, sugar and a generous sprinkle of salt.
2. Lay the onions on some baking paper, drizzle them with oil and place them in the oven and roast them at 150 degrees for approximately 30minutes.
3. In a separate bowl, mix together the butter beans, sumac, lemon juice, parsley, salt to taste and garlic chives.
4. To make the dressing, simply whip the yoghurt, tahini and chilli together.
5. Serve the salad on some rocket leaves with some lovely warm bread.

The indulgent holidays were concluded with a healthy salad, the busy mess has been hoovered and dusted into the past. The sun has been shining today and when I woke my feel felt a little heavier. My bed had been moved closer to the heater and the long window, so I was warmer and more light washed over me, but it was the end of the happy lull.

I saw lots of social networking posts about 2013 being amazing, full of achievements and success. Many of my parent peers used the opportunity to announce that their family will be extended and some people told us that they bought bigger or newer houses or travel widely in 2013. New job, promotion, bigger and better. All very wonderful stuff which I’m really pleased to hear about.

I was part of that way of thinking too. I want to share with you something quite profoundly awakening in my life. Pre-2011, each year I would meet with friends on NYE and also go and see the fireworks in London. Each year my husband would tell me, ‘this is going to be your year’. As the fireworks lit up the skies of my beloved london, I’d think about all that I had manifested in that year. How was I doing career-wise, Had I grown enough? Had I travelled enough? Am I fit enough, did I attend enough gym classes and am I in good shape? Did I save enough money? Did I write for magazines extensively enough?

So, then after a few shake-ups at the end of 2011, NYE for impending 2011, 2012 and 2013 filled me with nerves. What had I actually achieved?

For the first time this year, whilst welcoming in 2014 there were no flutters in my heart. There was peace. I had a take-away, put my feet up, thought about buying a onesie and whether its time to potty train my boy. I thought about all the recipes that I’m prepping for next week and for whom. It’s taken a long time, but it’s a phenomenal thing to just smile and have peace of mind.

So, as I wake with a less polluted tummy and a clearer mind for it, it’s time to keep going and keep doing and being grateful. My salad is light, filling, zesty, salty, herby, nutty, colourful, smooth, silky, crunchy, a bit of heat…you have it all, what more do you need?

I wouldn’t eat the lemon, it gives so wonderful colour and concentrated taste, but the rind is still the rind.

1. Slice the lemons thinly, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Roast in the oven for aproximately 20 mins at 200degrees. Watch them, they could burn easily. Once they are roasted, allow them to cool.
2. Combine the barley, lettuce, red onion, soya beans, lemon slices and feta in a large bowl.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together the dill, salt, chilli, olive oil, white wine vinegar, garlic and sumac.
4. Drizzle over the dressing and then toss it all together.

I served with my hummus recipe and lots of lovely flatbread.

I am linking this recipe to Karen at Lavender and Lovage because this recipe uses citrus

The husband and I ate hurriedly, quietly and messily from one plate today. It had been a long time since we shared a plate, but the salad was very good.

Back in the day, we shared a plate a bit more frequently. Sharing food is a lovely and warm thing to do isn’t it. Nowadays we focus on feeding our boy and eat in between offering him cars or dinosaurs that find my little guys food so yummy and scrummy in the tummy.

I loved sharing fresh and hot donuts with my mum and brother in the open market in Leicester when growing up. They were hot and doughy and sprinkled liberally with sugar. I remember fondly sharing Chinese take-away boxes from Camden market with my husband when we were students or falafel wraps from edgware road late in the evening and it became a tradition for him to unravel it for me.

Now our bodies can not cope with too many late, heavy, fried or generally indulgent meals. Christmas and New Year meals have left my tummy feeling tender and polluted. It’s time for fresh, clean, colourful and juicy foods. Salad. It doesn’t have to be boring…

My tomato, pomegranate, roasted mini pepper salad is fresh, zingy, spicy, sweet and herby. The juices from the tomatoes, pomegranate and spices and herbs all blend into a fresh and refreshing utterly moorish mix. I’m so pleased at how well the pomegranate works with the tomatoes. I’ve used a red chilli, oregano and chaat masala to give it a real kick and aroma. Do invest in some chaat masala, it’s a salty and peppery spice blend that really livens up dishes and works fabulously well with tomatoes or cucumber.

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